Reading manager Jaap Stam has spoken out against the reported fee the Royals paid for Fulham forward Sone Aluko, reports The Wokingham Paper’s Tom Crocker on Twitter.

The Berkshire outfit lured the Nigeria international away from their Championship promotion rivals last month for a fee believed to be around £7.5 million, double what the Royals paid for defender Tiago Illori back in January which, at the time, was a club record.

28-year-old Aluko was hugely influential in the Cottagers' rise to sixth place in the second tier last season, bagging eight goals and laying on 12 assists in 47 league games as Slavisa Jokanovic’s men came up short in their quest for a return to the Premier League, losing to Stam’s men in the semi-finals.

And Aluko, who only had a year left on his deal at Craven Cottage and had yet to agree a new one, made the move to the Madejski Stadium last month, although boss Stam has asserted that the fee paid to the West London outfit was not what has been reported.

He said, via Crocker’s Twitter: ‘The amount said in the media we paid for Aluko is not true.

‘It was less than that.’

These comments are sure to intrigue Reading supporters, who have seen their side win two of their opening five Championship games to sit 11th in the table at the first international break, albeit they did pick up a vital 2-0 victory at Birmingham just prior to the fortnight’s interruption.

And Stam’s men will seek to continue that momentum when they host Lee Johnson’s Bristol City at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.

The Verdict: It’s slightly unusual to hear a manager address transfer figures, let alone numbers that have come out of the media, but Reading boss Jaap Stam has made it clear that the Royals didn’t pay as much as has been reported for Fulham’s Sone Aluko.

The reported fee of £7.5 million for the Nigeria international has been quashed by the Dutchman, but ultimately doesn’t detract from what is a huge coup for the Berkshire club ahead of their quest to again sustain a Championship promotion challenge.

And Aluko, still almost certainly the club’s record signing, will hope to make his Royals bow when they take on Bristol City this weekend.

Reading fans… what do you make of the news? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!